The quality of mercy is not strain'd;
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest—
It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes.
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God's
When mercy seasons justice.
This "quality of mercy," described by Portia in Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" is a characteristic of a good Christian. Christ Jesus said (Matt. 5:7), "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy."
How shall we be merciful? Certainly being forbearing and forgiving, compassionate and kind in our dealings with our fellow men, is expressing mercy; but we shall be most merciful when instead of holding in thought the concept of a sick, sinning mortal, we replace that false seeming with the spiritual idea and see in Christian Science the perfect man, the image and likeness of God.
God's mercy is bestowed without partiality. Because God is Love, mercy is a natural attribute of God's being. Man, as the expression of God, is naturally merciful. Because justice and mercy are closely related, the ability to be merciful patterns the divine as the individual also emulates God's justice. In expressing, and in recognizing in others, such qualities as love, mercy, understanding, and the like, qualities which the real man reflects from God, one finds it easier to forgive supposed wrongs.
Mrs. Eddy writes in Science and Health(p. 248), "Let unselfishness, goodness, mercy, justice, health, holiness, love—the kingdom of heaven—reign within us, and sin, disease, and death will diminish until they finally disappear." What a glorious promise this is! By developing such Godlike qualities, we can make a start toward letting the kingdom of heaven reign within us, and the ultimate reward for demonstrating our true selfhood is the disappearance of sin, disease, and death from our experience. When mercy pervades consciousness, no room is left for hatred, envy, recrimination, or fear. Not only ourselves are blessed, but everyone with whom we come in contact feels the merciful touch of God's love expressed in us.
An outstanding example of merciful forgiveness is shown in the Bible story of Joseph's treatment of his brothers, whose jealousy and selfishness had led them to try to destroy him. In spite of the many unjust trials Joseph went through, his desire to serve God always brought him out of the difficulties, and he attained more and more honor among men. When, as prime minister of Egypt, he was in a position to retaliate his brothers' dastardly act, he had no such desire, but instead mercifully supplied their needs and showered them with gifts. His love for them and his joy in seeing them again proved that the qualities of mercy and forgiveness were strong forces in his thinking.
The refusal of Joseph to respond to the errors expressed by his brothers must have made forgiving and forgetting a simple matter for him, and without a struggle he was merciful and loving. Joseph's compassionate and helpful state of thought opened the way for God's mercy to be showered upon him.
We read in the Psalms (103:2-4), "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies."
Since opposite concepts, such as error and Truth, cannot be held in thought at the same time, it is evident that as one holds to the perfect concept of man, he cannot hold in thought a false concept of man. If one seems to see qualities of thought or physical manifestations in himself or another that are unlike the expression of God's being, he can immediately classify them as mortal mind concepts— illusions—not God's ideas or manifestation. This classification leads to the inevitable conclusion that these false manifestations are but beliefs without foundation or power.
So long as an illusion is considered a reality, it remains something of which one must try to rid himself. When the illusion is recognized for what it is, it is seen to be without substance, without power to continue itself, without law to sustain it, and without place to occupy. When one arrives at this point, he needs no longer to work to get rid of something but rather holds to man's present perfection until the illusion is dissipated for lack of belief in its reality. This reasoning is a most effective expression of God's mercy, for it not only blesses the one who maintains the truth but blesses even those who appear to be his enemies, so that eventually he finds that he has no enemies.
The sixth tenet of Christian Science presents to every Christian Scientist the obligation to be merciful. It says (Science and Health, p. 497), "And we solemnly promise to watch, and pray for that Mind to be in us which was also in Christ Jesus; to do unto others as we would have them do unto us; and to be merciful, just, and pure."
By beholding the perfect man, we are maintaining the altitude of thought that Christ Jesus so clearly demonstrated. We are seeing others as we would have them see us. This merciful attitude will make us just and pure, and with it we may experience here and now the Psalmist's expectation (Ps. 23:6), "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever."
